This week my teacher has challenged me to come up with a reading challenge. When I first heard this assignment I was a little confused. I didn’t quite understand what she meant by a “Reading Challenge”. That feeling was soon gone as soon as I started searching for some reading challenges in the Kidlitrosphere.

I have chosen to use the top 100 children’s novel list and try my best to read as many of these as possible before the end of the semester. I have recently started thinking about teaching at the middle school level. I feel this challenge will make me a better teacher if I do decide to teach those higher level of elementary school

I really hope to get through many books on this list and plan to continue to read my 4 hours every week and if I really get into the list or a book to read even more than that 4 hours.

This weeks flash back Friday book is Oh, the places you’ll go! by Doctor Seuss. Lets be honest here who hasn’t read this book? Almost every single person has had a parent, grandparent or teacher read this book to them at least once. It is such a great book for any age. Literally any age I’ve even had a college professor read this to us. It’s just one of those books that you can use with anyone.

This weeks assignment was to read more books that have won the Newberry award. I chose the books Holes by Louis Sachar and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Both of these books have been turned into movies and have had great reviews so I decided these books were ones I wanted to read this week. 

Holes by Louis Sachar, this book was about a young man who is sent to basically a work camp for juvenile children. It’s a book about friendship, finding yourself and doing the right thing. It’s a really great book and I would highly suggest having anyone in 7th grade and above reading this book.

The second book I chose was Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. This book was such a great book. It kept you on your toes and it’s a great book about friendship and loss. Definitely another one I would suggest for 6th grade and above 

 

This weeks flashback Friday is dedicated to Curious George by H.A. Rey. This book will forever be one of my favorites I remember my grandma reading it to be while I sat on her lap. After we would read the book she’d let me watch the tv series as well. It’s just one of those books to really make a child’s imagination run.

For anyone who doesn’t know about this book a brief summary is; there is a man with a yellow hat who ends up with a pet monkey named George. George is always getting into a bit of trouble but it’s never to be bad he’s just trying to understand everything

Over the past month I have had to read more book than ever before. Don’t get me wrong I love to read but I don’t usually go straight to the children’s literature section in the library. When it comes to picking a book for me to read in my free time I usually gravitate towards the romance section. I love me some Nicholas Sparks books.

I’ve learned that I love the books that have lots of pictures to keep my mind engaged as well. I would have to say the books that i’ve really enjoyed have been for the 2nd grade to 4th grade age level or anything in a chapter book series. I also have loved all the books i’ve read from the Caldecott awards. I love the illustrations and the liveliness these books always have.

This class has definitely opened my mind up to the children’s literature section though. I’ve been getting so many great ideas for books to use in my own classroom someday. Even have some ideas of books I definitely don’t want to use in my classroom.

 

This week we read the book The one and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I actually just got done listening to this book on audible. I was stuck with a 5 hour drive and figured it would be a great way to get my reading done for the week. Starting this book I really thought that I wouldn’t like it. I was struggling to get my mind wrapped around the whole gorilla telling the story aspect. As soon as I got to about chapter 5 though I loved it!

The book starts out with Ivan being in that mall zoo thing. I really don’t know how else to describe it. The author really did a good job with letting you know about the setting of each scene or major changes in it. When they took Ivan to the zoo she put details into it that really just made you imagine the area

Ivan in the main character here. There are a few other animals that live in the shopping center with him; Stella and Bob Ivans best friends though. That was until Ruby came. After Ruby came Ivan started to really care for this baby elephant. That is why Ivan sets out to find a way to give her a better life.

The author really did a good job with dragging us into the story and making us feel sympathy for these animals. The way she sticks to the theme and does such a great job representing her ideas, evolving a pattern and pointing out the important issues.

I think the members of the board for the Newbery Award really did a good job picking this book. The book follows the criteria very well and is such great book to have your children read. It’s really one of those books I think many classrooms might use someday.

This week I decided to switch it up with my meme post. I’m doing a flash back Friday this week. I chose one book that I use to read all the time as a kid, this book has also been around for years and years! I chose the Amelia Bedelia series this week.

This series was such go to for me as a kid. I loved being able to laugh at how crazy some the of the things she did. How she always misunderstood what she was suppose to do but ended up making it right at the end of the day. This series was started in 1988 and is still continued today.

This week we were suppose to read a couple specific award based books. We read books from the Coretta Scott King award, Pura Belpre award, Sibert medel, Schneider family award, and the Golden Sower award. Below are the books i’ve chose and one extra just for fun.

We forgot Brock! By Carter Goodrich

What a good book. Super cute and easy to read. I can easily see kids relating to this if they were in first or second grade. This book is about a kid named Phillip whose best friend is an imaginary figured name Brock. They go to the fair and Brock gets lost. Super great book with some really cute illustrations.

Parrots over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore

The illustrations in this book are just phenomenal. Such beautiful colors and pictures are used in this book This book is all about the parrots in Puerto Rico. About how they started all the way to the 2000s. Super great book for 2^nd grade and up.

A boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz

Honestly when picking this I thought I would really enjoy it. I think it’s a super cute book but it seems a little difficult to follow. It kind of jumps from him being a child at the zoo to college to being an adult in the jungle. Just a little difficult to follow.

Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales

This book is honestly super weird. The pictures in it are super pretty, they really look like real life photos or something but the message of the book is difficult. It’s very short with about 1-5 words per page. It’s supposed to be a learning book I believe.

Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe

I loved this book. It’s about the artist Jean-Michel and his life and him becoming an artist. The illustrations and story of this book are great. Very colorful and I love the story itself.

Rose Under Fire by Elisabeth Wein

This book is just..for lack of better words. Amazing. This is all centered in England during World War II. Rose the main character of the book is a pilot from America. She is captured by the Nazis and sent to a very renowned concentration camp. This book is truly one of those that you just have to read. Definitely one for an older age group I’d say 7^th and up. Would be really good for an American history class to maybe just get a better idea of concentration camps.

Finding time to read has honestly always been a struggle for me. I always tell myself that i’m going to sit down and read for a designated time and never do. This course has been a challenge for me in the aspect that i’ve had to rethink and reschedule the way I usually spend my time to fit in my 4 hours of reading every week.

Every week I go to the library on Monday or Tuesday and get the book that I will need for the entire week. Scan them all into Goodreads at the same time so I don’t have to stop reading to do it. I usually try and tell myself that i’m going to read a couple books everyday but i’m struggling with that a little bit. I seem to keep pushing it off and getting distracted. I end up telling myself “oh you can skip it today and just read twice as long tomorrow”. Well by the time I do that I usually end up reading for and hour or 2 and then only having to do that 2 or 3 times a week to hit my 4 hours.

I’ve been getting very distracted when I read for just 30 minutes but i’ve found when I start to read for a longer period of time my mind really starts to focus in and just set to work. From now on I will just plan on reading in 1 or 2 hour segments, that way i’m a little more realistic with myself. If I do that on Tuesdays and Thursdays and maybe on Sunday if I still need to then i’ll be able to hit my reading goal of 4 hours each week.

 

It’s Tuesday again! This weeks top 10 Tuesday I will be posting 10 books I think every classroom should read during fall. Some of these books i’ve read and some of them are just ones i’ve heard are really good. Hopefully sometime during this course I can get a chance to read them all.

Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins

This book would be really good for k-3rd grade

A tree for all Seasons by Robin Bernard

This book is definitely for the high age levels I’d say grades 3rd through 7th

There was an old Lady who swallowed some leaves Lucille Colandro

Preschool to second grade would be the best area for this book

Leaves by David Ezra Stein

Such a cute book about a bear going through autumn for the first time. Perfect for kids in preschool to 2nd grade

Halloween Day by Anne Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell

This is a great book to get kids thinking about halloween and October, great book for any younger age group. I think after 3rd grade kids wouldn’t enjoy this book anymore

Giving Thanks by Jonathan London and Gregory Manchess

This book is about a dad who is teaching his son about nature and to give thanks to it as they go on a walk in the woods. Great for all age groups

1, 2, 3 Thanksgiving by W. Nikola-lisa

This book is all about getting kids to count. It goes through thanksgiving day by counting the different foods on the table. Great for kindergarten or first grade.

It’s Thanksgiving by Jack Prelutsky

This book is filled with many poems about thanksgiving. Perfect for the older kids say grades 3rd to 7th.

Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen and Daniel M. Duffy

This book is based on the real story of a family member of Barbara Cohen. Molly leads her 3rd grade class in finding out that it takes more than one kind of person to make thanksgiving. Great book for independent readers.

 

The story of Thanksgiving by Nancy Skarmeas

This story is all about the first Thanksgiving; how the pilgrims got here and how the Native Americans taught them how to survive. Perfect book to help kids understand the real story behind Thanksgiving